Portable hunting blind

ABSTRACT

A portable hunting blind having a fabric panel supported and retained by a blind frame, which together bound a concealed space is provided. The blind frame includes two spaced apart horizontal members and a supporting framework for holding the two spaced apart horizontal members parallel to each other and above a supporting surface by a predetermined height, wherein all components of the blind frame are assembled by slidably mating. The fabric panel is dimensioned and adapted to be supported by an exterior of the two spaced apart horizontal members and the supporting framework so as to bound the concealed space. The fabric panel provides a plurality of strap fasteners for removably securing to the components of the blind frame by simply wrapping around them, thereby making the portable hunting blind light weight and to easily assemble without additional parts or tools.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisionalapplication No. 62/119,621, filed 23 Feb. 2015, the contents of whichare herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to temporary shelters and, moreparticularly, to a portable hunting blind requiring no additionalequipment, tools, or people to easily assemble.

When hunting on the ground or in a boat, hunters use concealment to gainan advantage on their game, which is the impetus for the portablehunting blind. Current portable hunting blinds, however, requireadditional parts and equipment for their assembly, such as pins, clips,hammer, and screw driver, or even require an additional person toassemble This in turn requires hunters to pack and carry such items withthem during the hunt, making the use of these current hunting blindsburdensome in both carrying and assemblage.

As can be seen, there is a need for a portable hunting blind requiringno additional equipment, tools, or people to easily assemble, making itlight weight and so facilitating individual hunting from a concealedlocation, whether on the ground or in a boat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a portable hunting blindincludes two spaced apart horizontal members; a supporting framework forholding the two spaced apart horizontal members parallel to each otherand above a supporting surface by a predetermined height; and a fabricpanel dimensioned and adapted to be supported by an exterior of the twospaced apart horizontal members and the supporting framework so as tobound a concealed space.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdrawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, shown in use;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a frameworkof the present invention; shown without fabric component;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of the frameworkof the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a detail section view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a section view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a section view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a detail section view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a detail section view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a detail section view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a detail section view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 11 is a detail section view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 1.

ITEMIZED PARTS LIST

-   10: portable hunting blind frame.-   12: bottom bar assemblies.-   14: bottom bar assemblies main bars.-   16: bottom bar assemblies corner brace channel.-   18: bottom bar assemblies corner brace channel vertical inner brace    channels.-   20: are the upper portions of the vertical members 22.-   22: vertical assemblies main bars.-   24: vertical assembly corner brace channel.-   26: are the diagonal members.-   28: (female) upper bar assemblies.-   30: (female) upper bar assemblies hole for side bar.-   32: upper bar assemblies main bar.-   34: (male) upper bar assemblies.-   36: are the male protrusions.-   38: upper assemblies (male) protrusions side pins.-   40: upper bar assemblies brace channel.-   42: is the fabric panel.-   44: fabric panel inner bottom corner Velcro™ straps.-   46: fabric panel middle Velcro™ straps.-   48: fabric panel upper Velcro™ straps.-   50: fabric panel eye clasp.-   52: fabric panel J clasp.-   54: fabric panel exterior lower pockets.-   56: fabric panel exterior middle elastic bands.-   58: fabric panel exterior upper elastic bands.-   60: is the exemplary foliage.-   62: is the supporting surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplatedmodes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. Thedescription is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merelyfor the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention,since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a portablehunting blind having a fabric panel supported and retained by a blindframe, which together bound a concealed space. The blind frame includestwo spaced apart horizontal members and a supporting framework forholding the two spaced apart horizontal members parallel to each otherand above a supporting surface by a predetermined height, wherein allcomponents of the blind frame are assembled by slidably mating. Thefabric panel is dimensioned and adapted to be supported by an exteriorof the two spaced apart horizontal members and the supporting frameworkso as to bound the concealed space. The fabric panel provides aplurality of strap fasteners for removably securing to the components ofthe blind frame by simply wrapping around them, thereby making theportable hunting blind light weight and to easily assemble withoutadditional parts or tools.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 11, the present invention may include afabric panel 42 supported and retained by a blind frame 10, whichtogether bound a concealed space. The material of the blind frame 10 maybe made of material that can be repeatedly bent without fracturing, aspolyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl, nylon, rubber, leather, variousimpregnated or laminated fibrous materials, various plasticizedmaterials and the like.

The blind frame 10 may include spaced apart horizontal members 32 heldgenerally parallel to each other and a supporting surface 62 by the endsof vertical members 22 of a supporting framework 12. The supportingframework 12 may include cross members 14 that extend along thesupporting surface 62, transverse to the horizontal members 32, andconnect to the opposing ends of the vertical members 22. The supportingframework 12 may include diagonal members 26 that connect an upperportion 20 of the vertical members 22 to the cross members 14. Crossmembers 14 further include vertical and diagonal mounting channels 18and 16 dimensioned and adapted to slidably secure the connectingvertical and diagonal members 22 and 26, wherein the diagonal channels16 are disposed at the distal ends of the cross member 14 and thevertical channels 18 are disposed there between, generallysymmetrically. Similarly, the upper portions 20 of the vertical members22 may provide diagonal mounting channels 24 for slidably securing anupper end of the diagonal members 26.

The diagonal members 26, akin to outriggers, resist lateral overturningof the vertical and thus horizontal members 22 and 32 by extendingdiagonally from the upper portion 20 of the vertical members 22 along aplane orthogonal to that of the horizontal members 32 and the supportingsurface 62, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 3, each horizontal member 32 may include first andsecond members 28 and 34. The first and second members 28, 34 may haveslidably mating parts 30, 36 and 38 at one end and terminate in uppervertical mounting channels 40 on opposing ends. The first and secondmembers 28, 34 may each extend from a coupling end to a distal end alonga longitudinal axis in the direction of their lengths so that theslidably mating parts 30, 36 and 38 on each coupling end enablesremovably connecting the first and second members 28, 34 so theycontinuously extend along their longitudinal axis. The slidably matingparts may include snap-in locator pins 38 and holes 30 and maleprotrusions 36, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The upper vertical mountingchannels 40 may be dimensioned and adapted to slidably secure the upperportions 20 of the vertical members 22. All mounting channels 40, 24,18, 16 are adapted to prevent torsion or rotation of the members theyslidably secure.

The fabric panel 42 may be made of sufficiently durable, light weight,waterproof (or water/climate resistant) opaque fabric, such as denier orthe like. The fabric panel 42 may be dimensioned and adapted to snuglyengage the exterior of an erected blind frame 10. The fabric panel 42may provide a plurality of pairs of strap fasteners 44, 46 or 48disposed along the fabric panel 42 so that each pair of strap fasteners44, 46 or 48 may wrap around a member 22, 26, 32 so as to secure anassociated portion of the fabric panel 42 thereto, as illustrated inFIG. 7.

It should be understood that the each pair of strap fasteners 44, 46 or48 may include any fastener known in the art for fastening or removablysecuring one object to another including, for example, standardpush-button snaps, Velcro-type fasteners, adhesive substances,combinations thereof, and the like. It should also be understood thatthe plurality of pairs of strap fasteners 44, 46 or 48 may be configuredin any array and/or number, so long as the fasteners function inaccordance with the present invention as described herein.

The fabric panel 42 may have an egress slot 51 by which a user may enterand exit the concealed space. The egress slot 51 may form two opposingportions of the fabric panel 42 that may be secured by cooperating firstand second clasps 50, 52.

The fabric panel 42 may have a camouflage pattern printed thereon. Thefabric panel 42 may provide a plurality of lower, middle and upperelastic bands 54, 56, 58, respectively stitched into it so as to holdnatural/synthetic grass, sticks, branches, or gillie cloth for additioncamouflage. Specifically, foliage 60 may be slidably received through atleast one pocket formed by at least one elastic bands 54, 56, 58, asillustrated in FIGS. 1, 10 and 11.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable hunting blind comprising: two spacedapart horizontal members; a supporting framework for holding the twospaced apart horizontal members parallel to each other and above asupporting surface by a predetermined height; and a fabric paneldimensioned and adapted to be supported by an exterior of the two spacedapart horizontal members and the supporting framework so as to bound aconcealed space.
 2. The portable hunting blind of claim 1, wherein eachof the two spaced apart horizontal members further comprise: a first andsecond members, each extending from a coupling end to a distal end; anda slidably mating part on each coupling end for removably connecting thefirst and second members.
 3. The portable hunting blind of claim 2,wherein the first and second members further comprise an upper verticalmounting channel at or near each distal end.
 4. The portable huntingblind of claim 3, wherein the supporting framework further comprises aplurality of vertical members extending from an upper portion to asupporting end, and wherein each upper portion is dimensioned toslidably mate with each upper vertical mounting channel.
 5. The portablehunting blind of claim 4, wherein the supporting framework furthercomprises a plurality of diagonal members, each attached to the upperportion of each vertical member so as to extend to a supporting end. 6.The portable hunting blind of claim 5, wherein the supporting frameworkfurther comprises two cross members disposed along the supportingsurface, wherein each cross member provides mounting channels for atleast two of the supporting ends of each of the plurality of verticaland diagonal members, whereby the supporting framework and the twohorizontal members are adapted to be assembled by slidably mating. 7.The portable hunting blind of claim 5, wherein the fabric panel furtherincludes a plurality of strap fasteners disposed along the fabric panelso as securely engage the plurality of vertical and diagonal members,whereby the fabric panel is secured by only wrapping the plurality ofstrap fasteners about said plurality of vertical and diagonal members.8. The portable hunting blind of claim 4, wherein the plurality ofvertical members are adapted to adjust the predetermined height.
 9. Theportable hunting blind of claim 1, wherein the fabric panel furtherincludes a plurality of elastic bands adapted to slidably receivefoliage.